Next tings

Friday, 28 March 2014

Reggae Regeneration artist/member and grade 8 pianist, Dre Island, takes to JussBuss TV for a live acoustic rendition of breakout hit "Rastafari Way". When is the last time you saw a deejay/rapper take to the piano in such style and fashion?

Was blown away recently when I heard him play this song, "Uptown Downtown" on the piano in Tuff Gong Studio for David Rodigan on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

I rate "Reggae Love" too. Nice little summer reggae on the pop side of life tune.

Check out some more acoustics on the JussBuss channel. Some good stuff on there with Chris Martin, Keznamdi, Assassin and more. Will post some more another day in case you can't be arsed to check it now.

Thursday, 27 March 2014

Yeah, I turned the artist + song title into a riddim in the title. And guess what you have to do? LOVE IT! Busy Signal isn't a novice on this afrobeats ting. He jumped on Sarkodie's "U Go Kill Me" last year when he made "Same Way", today is the turn of one of the songs I posted in my songs I'm feeling post yesterday, P-Square "Personally"

Check out Busy using the same flow in a dancehall style below.

Said it before, saying it again, I love the crossovers with bashment (dancehall), afrobeats, soca and even reggaeton at the moment. Definitely what I like.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Thought I'd pop up couple songs I've been feeling since the year started which haven't already been posted yet.

Boombox riddim

Best riddim I've heard so far this year. Two best pieces are the Spice (repping for the ladies) and talk of the island, Alkaline.

Alkaline does to this Notnice riddim what I reckon Vybz Kartel would've done for his former producer. This is the closest we'll get to a Kartel on Not Nice riddim so just enjoy it.

Spice does what Spice does. Empower the women to express their sexuality. This is the new term since Beyonce got away with it. Spice is a patron saint of feminism.

You can catch some Russians wining to it here (second song). I don't think this is what they're stepping on Ukraine for but its an interesting watch all the same.

Speaking of Russians...

Rvssian riddim

A while back I tweeted some hope for a return of Latin-leaning dancehall music. When I say "Latin-leaning" I mean reggaeton sounding dancehall which of course is an older form of dancehall. I get tired of the constant American-slant on dancehall aiming to appeal to African-American who don't care about anything outside of their own stuff. Let's be honest, they can be very ignorant to other cultures.

The Hispanics however are a lot more open as it's closer to popular forms of their own music anyway. Let's not forget, they were the market that broke Sean Paul to the masses over there.

Anyway, I'm feeling two pieces on there and a couple others are alright. Rvssian is the best producer in Jamaica right now. I called it after "Weed Smokers" & "Whine & Kotch". The new vibe is the best thing in dancehall. Reminiscent of the dancehall we all know and love with some contemporary elements on top.

Sean Paul 'Front To Back' is by far the best dancehall song he's made since his 2010 appearance on Smokin' riddim.

Incarcerated dancehall superstar, Vybz Kartel drops the best song on the riddim. Even flings in a bit of Spanish. He obviously understands its one they'll appreciate. Alongside Rvssian's protege J Capri.

Igloo riddim

Another riddim Vybz Kartel dominates from behind bars is Igloo. The above has a Latin-friendly vibe, this has a Afrobeats-friendly. Listen to how the bass line weaves on the riddim. Kartel in his gallis element. "When you drop inna mi bed what a happy sheet" who says things like that?

Mavado "Friends With Benefits" is the first time I recall Mavado on a So Unique riddim and it's a solid appearance.

Good Book riddim

This Dave Kelly-inspired riddim produced by ZJ Liquid is a good example of the sparser sounds around at the moment. Mavado's piece takes it for me. Full of confidence. Boasty Mavado in full effect.

Title song of the riddim comes by way of one of the more under-appreciated Jamaican artists, Demarco. He may not always have the best song on riddims or the hottest song out, but he delivers solid cuts and he's rarely out of the mix.

Last song I'm featuring on the riddim is Aidonia. "Watch him gal like a guard dog. She still ah come in a mi yard, darg," boasts Donia on this which finds him back on his take weh your gal motive that scored him a hit on the Catalog riddim in 2010.

And speaking of Demarco…

Demarco - "Apartment"

On the Seduction riddim, so you already you know this is a sweaty, intimate, hot breath in your neck type riddim. And it definitely is.

Kalado "Good Good Bring Life" is on the same riddim. First heard this in Jamaica last year. Jeez.

Davido - Skelewu

This one's getting a UK release in the next couple of weeks. Is an old one to proper afrobeats head (of which I'm not so please allow me). The dance is a nice little skank too.

P-Square - Personally

Another afrobeats song I was extremely late on. But that's just life sometimes. I'm working on quickening the speed. P-Square always deliver I think.

Joey B ft Sarkodie - Tonga

Vibes! Does "Tonga" rhyme with "corna"? Either way this bangs

Shift K3y - Touch

I'm not too deep into house, but the commercial house right now is still waving their flag high and mighty. Duke Dumont "I Got U" and Route 94 "My Love" have received replay treatment. This banger is a next vibes as well. Much more in the UK garage side of life. Harder 2-step drums, tender male vocals singing about women is always a good'un in the gal dem books.

SecondCity - I Wanna Feel

If I had to sample a part of Toni Braxton's "You're Making Me High", I'd probably go for the beginning of the bridge as well. I'm a sucked for a great bridge. One that fully brings the song to a near conclusion. One that changes chord structure to some sweet vibes. But yeah, back to this song, I'm feeling it, innit.

Sigma - Nobody To Love

Sigma's bootleg of "Bound 2" finds itself getting an officially release. This is better than the original. A song with the words "Just grab somebody/ No leaving this party with nobody to love," deserves to be on a dance floor filler. Doesn't this make you wanna group hug your mates and maybe involve a couple of stray strangers nearby?

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Looks like an interesting docu. Will check it out when it lands. Who knew they had a sound system culture in Huddersfield? Leeds I'd expect. Saying that, I dunno how far Hudds is from Leeds so I dunno the genetic make-up of the area either.

Friday, 14 March 2014

The only man I'd say is chatting to him for definite is Kanye West. Apart from Mavado and Damian Marley, couple other man like Lil' Wayne and Drake are in the running. Apart from that, no one (I can think of right now) can chat to him.

Here's why:

When he burst onto the scene in 2003 on Don Corleon's riddims, his ascendance from unknown to one of the genres headlines based not only on quality big tunes but quantity is rivalled by few, ever (Mavado being one). He brought a refreshing style which combined hip hop rhyme schemes applied on dancehall riddims.

He's undefeated in clashes on wax. Spragga Benz & Mavado both put up incredible fights (more the latter than former), but neither could deal with Kartel's counter punch defensive style. Yeah, he ducked couple man but he paid the cost to be the world boss.

He left the Alliance, a foundation which built nuff artists to form his own successful Alliance who took away the shine from the Alliance. The Alliance were a formidable crew; Bounty Killer, Busy Signal, Wayne Marshall, Bling Dawg and Mavado were all hitting at that point. Yeah, none are really with the Alliance like they were before, but none were bold enough to move like Kartel did.

He lost ratings from me after the Ninja Man fight at Sting, then Mavado's rise to prominence, but rose like a true champion after incorporating some of Mavado's singjay style, clashing Mavado both on wax and on stage, then releasing the best victory clash song ever in "Last Man Standing"

I mean c'mon

This is gonna be an appreciation thread for my favourite Kartel period. 2009-2014 aka when Black Kartel mark 3 transformed into Brown Kartel. I'm just gonna list all the songs I remember off the top. There are loads more.

Ramping Shop set unprecedented levels. He hijacked a Grammy award winning song, Neyo "Miss Independent", and turned it invalid. At first it was a really good song, then Ramping Shop dropped and it became a good set up song to assume the position (find the girl you wanna dance with to Ramping Shop). They don't even play it now. Neyo's publishers had to file against the song to stop it rising up the Billboard charts.

Video + radio edit

And from here on out, Vybz Kartel became the biggest thing in dancehall. You had hip hop segment, bashment segment and the sub-genre of Kartel segment. While you could rely on Kartel to produce one bagga crap, unmixed songs, there was a bag of great songs that run dance. Pree the amount of hits I'm reeling off in a 5-year period. This is why he had his own sub-genre and artists trying to emulate him.

Happy I got the chance to speak to him. Ask him about things I cared about regarding his career.

What made Kartel great to me is he represented for the garrison community (social songs and gun songs) and the sexually liberated females in the 21st century. He combined the elements of Beenie Man and Bounty Killer in one body. His fearless attitude courted controversy and fans in their droves. Plus, he had talent in abundance. Most of the above songs weren't written down, they were from his head into the mic.

And he could make a nice love song free of profanity if he wanted to. Like this one below

Shame it had to end this way for such an incredibly talented artist. An incredible waste of a career when I have trouble wondering how it even came to this. I know Adija Palmer's been done for a heinous crime, but I'm still judging Vybz Kartel by his music. And for that he's a great to me.

I think I'll do another post tomorrow for the earlier part of his hits.

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Saxon Sound at Hackney Downs inna 1985. Check the fashion. This is black youth culture in the 80s. I won't let them hijack our real story with them feeding us a foreign narrative. This is the reality of the situation and foundation in our UK movement.

Go to 15:20 for the famous fast-chat style (or double time rapping) they pioneered (before everyone in the world) which has been copied the world over. Big up Daddy Colonel, Papa Levi, Tippa Irie, Smiley Culture and them man.

p.s. You don't really see them (shame) but ketch the vibes.

And you can check out Papa Levi talking about them times, the fast-chat styles origins, lack of foundation set by them times and more. p.s. I cracked up at the "you don't know David Hamilton the M1 driver" bit.

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Protoje and Chronixx speak on how they met and made the song on the day they shot the video for the Winta James (leading the reggae riddims right now) produced lead single, "Who Knows" from the forthcoming Protoje's album.

)

Full song here

As yet untitled third album to follow. Purchase on day of release for me because he's a wicked artist with consistency.

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

What happens when you put four of my favourite reggae artists (Protoje, Jesse Royal, Dre Island and Kabaka Pyrmaid) on one stage backed by the Indiggnation band playing the Militancy riddim in an acoustic stylings? This...

Big tune/instrumental by Jus Now from last year voiced by UK basement's Stylo G premiered on Mista Jam's 1Xtra radio show last night. Always had the mid-'00s jiggy dancehall period so glad it got the vocal treatment.

Check the video with nuff wining and jumping. Basically tun'nin' up

I reckon this will work better live inna dance than at my laptop. Can we get Elephant Man on a remix please? Cheers in advance

About Me

iJournalism, 3 R's: A spot where I rant, recommend & reminisce. My opinions are exactly that - moi's! They don't reflect any of the publications I contribute to or any of that baloney so no bodda try. If you like, muchos appreciation, if not "cLiCk ThE rEd X iN dA cOrNa InIt H8rS". Nah, only playing, let me know what you disagree with. All contact marvin.sparks220@gmail.com - if ya bad!